Foxie has a way of making everything she does look cool, whether it’s eating a carrot, watching TV, or tossing a troll doll head around.
Archive for the ‘Missy’ Category
Foxie is so cool.
Sunday, March 7th, 2010Self treatment
Friday, March 5th, 2010Chimpanzees spend a lot of time grooming injuries on themselves and others. In fact, we rely heavily on observation of their behavior towards one another to monitor their health. For example, a chimpanzee may develop a small abscess from a bite or scratch during a fight. Depending on the location of the injury, the caregivers may not notice it at first. But the chimpanzees sure do, and this will often alert us to its presence. And while we tend to be a bit overly cautious and provide oral antibiotics, the chimpanzees do a pretty good job of grooming and draining injuries to promote healing on their own. This makes sense, of course, because free-living chimpanzees often suffer injuries and do not rely on humans for treatment. But it is fascinating to watch. Missy seems to be the most adept at using tools (in this case a piece of grape vine) to groom herself.
Missy’s Day of Play
Monday, March 1st, 2010Missy has been especially playful today (even by Missy standards). Jody and Annie have been good about humoring her (as you’ll see in the video), but even during those moments when no one else is up to a game, Missy has found a way to entertain herself. At various times today, we’ve caught her taking a flying leap from the deck outside wearing a huge playface or playing chase with an invisible partner.
Another day in the greenhouse…
Thursday, February 25th, 2010The chimpanzees cannot get enough of their new greenhouse. Since it was completed a few days ago, they have spent most of the daylight hours outside playing, grooming, nesting, and generally reveling in the warmth. I don’t think we can overstate what a joy it has been to see them spend so much time in the sun.
Sun, how we’ve missed you!
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010The sun has finally returned to central Washington! Today was gorgeous, with blue skies, temperatures in the high 40s, and lots of glorious sun. The beautiful weather has put all of us, human and chimpanzee, in great moods. The chimps spent much of the day playing, swinging, and laughing outside in their (very nearly completed) greenhouse.
Annie and Missy
Friday, February 12th, 2010Annie and Missy have such a strange relationship. They are nearly inseparable, but when Missy decides to groom or play with someone else, Annie appears to be jealous. Its very predictable – if you see Missy playing with another chimpanzee, you can bet that Annie is watching her every move from a distance. Sometimes Annie will sit back on her butt and tap her heels on the floor, which is a behavior she often displays when she is anxious. And while Missy likes to interact with the other chimps, Annie mostly keeps to herself when Missy is not around.
Today I was taking photos of Missy and Jamie grooming and playing together outside:
And sure enough, there was Annie in the doorway, keeping an eye on things:
Sun!
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010The chimps were outside bright and early this morning to welcome the return of the sun to Central Washington.
Snake!
Thursday, February 4th, 2010Given their history in captivity, the chimps here at CSNW (unlike their free-living counterparts) have probably never encountered a real snake before, but when this toy snake (see video) went out as part of their enrichment one day, they treated it with a healthy dose of caution.
Annie Upside Down
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010During playroom cleaning this morning, I decided to grab the camera and film the chimps through the new window. Right away, I caught Missy and Annie in an amusing game of upside down wrestling.
Missy’s icy chase game
Sunday, January 17th, 2010Yesterday, Missy spent some time outside playing chase with JB. It was a bit of a slippery slope for JB, though! :)
